Munchkin

Sometimes you answer a phone call and have absolutely no idea how deeply it is going to affect you. I received a call from our delivery unit, where our donations come into, to say there was a young girl there with a little dog asking for Dogs on the Streets to help rehome her dog. At first, I explained that we don’t deal with clients at our unit, and we can’t accept dogs because we are not a rescue. But I said I would pop down and have a chat, as I was only around the corner. I had no idea what I was about to walk into. As I pulled up and opened the car door, I saw a young lady sitting on the step, crying, with a little dog in her arms. I sat down beside her and asked, What’s going o, Why have you come to us, What help do you need Then she began to tell me her story. It was absolutely heartbreaking. She had been offered temporary accommodation, something she desperately needed, but there was one problem. Her dog wasn’t allowed. She believed the only option left was to surrender her dog and begged me to take her and find her a good home. She had been sleeping in her car. She kept looking at her watch. I can’t be long, she said. He’ll start wondering where I am. As we talked, it became clear that she was still in a domestic violence situation. She was frightened. She was trying to get herself out. And yet, despite everything she was going through, her biggest worry was her dog. She felt that her dog deserved better. She handed me the dog. And I said, “Stop.” I’m not willing for you to surrender your dog. I’m willing to foster your dog for you until you can get yourself safe and get yourself sorted. The emotion that came over her was overwhelming. Are you sure Is this really true How much I told her, Nothing. There is no charge. It’s completely free. She broke down. She told me she had been trying so hard not to lose her dog. Money was running out. There had even been times when she fed her dog and went without food herself. That broke me. Here was a young, intelligent woman who had been hitting door after door of devastation, trying desperately to find a way forward. She wasn't trying to abandon her dog. She was trying to save her. She just thought she had no other choice. I scooped her little dog up into my arms and reassured her that we would care for her. She was safe. She wasn't being abandoned. And most importantly, her mum hadn't failed her. She had to leave quickly. She was frightened and couldn't stay any longer. I have been in touch with her since, but I have to be honest... I cried all the way back to the Sanctuary. This one has really stayed with me. You never truly know what is happening in someone's life. You don't know what is happening behind closed doors. You don't know how many times they have asked for help. You don't know how many doors have been slammed in their face. And you don't know what it has taken for someone to finally say, i need help. Today, we didn't just help a dog. We helped a young woman who was desperately trying to hold onto the one thing that gave her love, comfort and a reason to keep going. Her little dog is safe with us. She can now concentrate on getting herself somewhere safe and rebuilding her life. No judgement. No surrender. No charge. Just a safe place for her dog while she fights to get herself back on her feet. And hopefully, one day very soon, that little dog will be back where she belongs... In her mum's arms. Because sometimes saving the dog means helping save the person too. And maybe, just maybe, that little dog will be the one constant that reminds her that there is still something worth fighting for. You never know what someone is going through. So before you judge someone... Before you ask, Why doesn't she just leave? Before you say, Why doesn't she just give the dog away? Remember that life isn't always that simple. Sometimes people are surviving minute by minute. And sometimes the dog beside them is the only thing keeping them going. 🧡